The Fix: October 11, 2009 - October 17, 2009

Eighteen days out from the Nov. 3 gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia, both parties' expectation-setting machines have gone into high gear.
Republicans argue that both states went for President Barack Obama
last fall and the fact that they are competitive in each is a sign of his faltering appeal among the electorate.
Democrats respond that no president's party has won even one of the two state's governorships since 1985 when Gov. Tom Kean (R) won a second term during the presidency of Ronald Reagan (R). (That same year Democratic Gov. Jerry Baliles was elected in Virginia.)

Another of live chatting with Fixistas is in the books. Among the topics we covered in this week's edition of the "Live Fix": where things stands in Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races, how much trouble is Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) really in and great political names.

New numbers from Gallup that show Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as more popular than President Barack Obama provide a clear illustration of the fundamental clash between campaigning and governing.

368,000
That's the amount that Kentucky businessman and Senate candidate Rand Paul (R) outraised his primary opponent Secretary of State Trey Grayson (R) by in the third quarter, a staggering sign of the continued potency of the Internet cash-collecting operation built by his father during the 2008 presidential race.

The Fix has had Oct. 15 circled on our calendar for some time since it is the day all candidates for federal office are required to report how much they raised and spent over the past three months.
(Are we aware of how dorky the above paragraph sounds? You bet. Long ago we decided to embrace the political nerd in us.)
Money isn't the only thing in politics but a demonstrated ability to either convince other people to invest in your campaign or put your own money behind a bid is a significant measure of viability.

Clark County Commission ChairmanRory Reid's (D) long-awaited announcement today that he would run for governor of Nevada in 2010 means that he and his father -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) -- will be on the same ballot next November.

You may not have heard of Matt Strawn but every Republican who is pondering a run for president in 2012 has him on their speed dial.
That's because Strawn, at the tender age of 35, has ascended to one of the most coveted perches in the political world: chairman of the Iowa Republican party.

The Senate Finance Committee's 14-9 vote to send a health care bill to the full Senate floor marked the culmination of months (and months) of debate, hand-wringing and cajoling and likely set off weeks (and weeks) of debate, hand-wringing and cajoling as the White House seeks to drive the legislation to final passage.

A new Field poll in California showed that just one in four voters approve of the job Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, his lowest rating in the six years since he took office following the recall of then Gov. Gray Davis (D).

t's becoming increasingly clear in recent weeks that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is in deep trouble when it comes to his re-election race next fall.
A new independent poll conducted for the Las Vegas Review Journal shows Reid trailing two unknown opponents -- former state party chairwoman Sue Lowden and businessman Danny Tarkanian -- and just 38 percent of Nevada voters had a favorable opinion of their senator.
At the heart of Reid's vulnerability is the disconnect between his role in Washington as the leader of Senate Democrats and his status as Nevada's senior senator.

Two new polls -- one conducted for the Washington Post and one for the Richmond Times-Dispatch -- show former state Attorney General Bob McDonnell (R) opening up a high single digit lead over state Sen. Creigh Deeds (D) with less than a month remaining in the Virginia governor's race.

Last week, Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) won our Fix Poll as the most underrated Senators in the chamber. (We might have gone with South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham but that's fodder for a different post.)
Today we tackle the other side of the question: Who is the most overrated member of the world's greatest deliberative body?